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Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/01/syrian-military-weakness-russian-intervention
Wake-Up Call on Syrian Army Weakness Prompted Russian Intervention
(Guardian-UK) Ian Black - Syrian military weakness, painfully exposed over the last few months, is the main reason for direct Russian intervention in Syria. Analysts say Moscow decided to deepen its involvement after the fall of the northern towns of Idlib and Jisr al-Shughour in May served as a "wake-up call" about the state of the Syrian army. The Syrian army is estimated to be down from a pre-war figure of 300,000 to between 80,000 and 100,000. Fatigue, desertions and losses have taken a heavy toll. Alawites - the Assad family's minority sect - are no longer ready to fight for Sunni areas but only to defend their own homes. "Idlib fell very quickly because Syrian soldiers were simply not prepared to fight," said one Syrian expert. "Ahrar al-Sham [a rebel group] were surprised how quickly the regime defenses crumbled."